I'm available for studio/session work, live gigs and private lessons. Session rates vary project to project. Drop me a line if you're interested in learning more about either.
Some press about me:
"Blake Fleming is an arena jazz octo-beast" (The Village Voice)
"Drummer Blake Fleming whips up a polyrhythmic storm... Fleming shines brightest in this stellar group [Laddio Bolocko]; he's equally adept at Jaki Liebezeit's fluidly groovy metronomic beats and John Bonham's Leviathan-heavy thumping. He's also one of the few sticksmen who could play the songs on Miles Davis' psych-fusion classic On The Corner." (Alternative Press)
"One of the best drummers this writer has ever seen" (The Village Voice)
"Blake is the father of most of the Mars Volta songs. He's the one that came up with a lot of beats for us. Even on Frances the Mute, "L'Via L'Viaquez" and certain parts [of the songs on the album] are Blake Fleming beats [that were taught to] Jon Theodore. Sometimes [we'd have] to not let Jon know that they were Blake's beats, because he'd have a bit of a problem with that, since Blake was our first drummer and tracks like "Cicatriz ESP" and "Roulette Dares (The Haunt Of)" were Blake Fleming beats."
(Excerpt from Verbicide Magazine , interview with Cedric Bixler-Zavala of The Mars Volta)
A bit of a bio:
Blake Fleming started drumming at age 8, and spent several years in fife and drumming corps, bagpipe bands, jazz bands, orchestras, etc. His first band was Dazzling Killmen , which he joined at age 15. The Killmen toured the US extensively and worked closely with Jeff Tweedy (Wilco, Uncle Tupelo) and Steve Albini as well as performing/touring with Fugazi, The Jesus Lizard, Neurosis, Helmet, Uncle Tupelo, Sleep, Shellac, and Jim O'Rourke to name a few.
Later he played with the Japanese prog-punk band Zeni Geva . He then moved from St. Louis to New York City and formed the instrumental band Laddio Bolocko . Laddio toured the US and Europe numerous times and gave Fleming the reputation of being a master drummer both in the US and throughout most of Europe.
After breaking up Laddio, he moved to Los Angeles and co-founded The Mars Volta in 2001, but left after recording their debut single for Grand Royal. He also drummed on Omar Rodriguez-Lopez's solo album 'A Manual Dexterity: Soundtrack Volume 1'. He then returned to New York City to form Electric Turn To Me , toured the US and Europe extensively, and later broke up in 2005.
He rejoined The Mars Volta after drummer Jon Theodore's departure in June of 2006.
After opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers throughout the US and Canada, Fleming came back to New York where he keeps a very tight schedule of studio/session work, live gigs and teaching private lessons to dedicated students. Interested parties are encouraged to contact him via Myspace.
Some recent highlights include performing monthly with NPR Artist of the Month, Kim Taylor at the Living Room, NYC, and working in the studio with The Ropes recording their first full-length album with producer Nic Hard (The Bravery) that will be released by Warner Music Group and Rykodisc / Cordless Recordings. Fleming has also recently composed and recorded soundtracks for several pieces by video artist Janet Biggs , which have been exhibited in museums and galleries in Miami, Charleston and Barcelona. He is exploring the possiblility of writing an instructional book and DVD.
Blake is proud to endorse Truth Drums , Meinl Cymbals , and Vic Firth Drumsticks .
